Night of the Were-Hawk
by Nintendo Nut1
Summary: In an attempt to make amends with his brother, Eaglebones is tricked and and hit with a terrible curse. Will the Aquabats be able to break it before he ends up seriously hurting someone?
1. Chapter 1

He told them he was stepping out for a breath of fresh air. He didn't take his guitar, which usually went everywhere with him. He'd be the first to admit he felt vulnerable without it.

But he made a deal. And with that glimmer of hope, he couldn't refuse.

At first he strolled nonchalantly away from the BattleTram, in case anyone inside would catch a glimpse of him. Some distance away, however, Eaglebones cast a glance back and began to expedite his pace until he was practically running across the dry desert landscape.

He didn't want to keep him waiting too long.

He approached a rock formation, divided down the middle and twisting down to lower ground and back up again. Easily weaving his thin frame through the crags, he glanced up from the ravine and spotted a figure framed by the large moon on the ledge above.

Eaglebones composed himself, trying not to seem out of breath for more reasons than one, and calmly stepped into view.

"Brother?" he ventured. "… I'm here."

When he didn't get a response right away, he added, "Unarmed, like you asked. No guitar, no glove, no team, no nothing."

The figure shifted a bit abruptly, turning halfway and finally acknowledging his presence, which shut him up quick. With a mastered grace, the shadow stepped off the ledge and landed in the ditch. As he slowly strolled forward into the moonlight, Eaglebones steeled himself, trying not to appear too happy to see him.

"Wowwww, Bonesy," Eagleclaw laughed to himself as he stood before his brother. "You actually went and did it."

Bones gave him a guarded glare. "What, you thought I wouldn't?"

"I didn't think you were dumb enough to show up period," Claw shrugged, meeting the scowl with a forced grin. "But! You sure proved me wrong!"

A wall of anger rose up in between them, and Bones was struggling to control his temper. His glare worsened very slightly. "What's this all about, Eagleclaw?" he demanded, gesturing to their environment. "What are we even doing out here in the middle of nowhere? If it's not to fight or to talk or whatever, then what is it!?"

He then looked down and noticed that his brother was holding something. "…and what's that?"

As if just remembering he had it, Claw lifted the old, leather-bound book clutched in his mighty talons. He gave it a look over, then darted his eyes back to Bones.

"…Oh! Well, y'know!" He began, feigning a casual stance and tone of voice. "I gave some serious thought to our last little… tiff."

Bones leered incredulously. "The 'tiff' where you almost took out me and my friends?"

"Technically I did! But then at the end…!" He scoffed, threw his free claw into the air and shook his head unbelievingly. "Whew! Kinda weird, wasn't it?"

A brow raised under a thick mask. "And?"

"So I looked into it. And—" Claw stopped, let out a chuckle, and glanced up to give the closest thing to a sincere look to Bones. "Heh, well. I know you always had that weird fascination with spirits and magic and all that…"

Bones' cold expression began to fade in realization as his brother went on. "'Course, I never believed in any of it, I thought you were always messing around… But after that battle, well…!"

He only shrugged. Pride kept him from outright admitting he'd been wrong, but the warm glow of hope blossoming on Bones' face told him that it registered through.

"You… r-really?" he spoke meekly, letting his guarded wall all but completely crumble away in awe. "I. W-ha-wow…!" He staggered back and laughed, honestly floored. "I can't believe—you? _You_ of all people? Wow-!"

Claw rolled his eyes over his little brother's display. "Oh, don't go laying an egg, it's not a huge deal."

"No, I mean—you're like, the first to believe me, you know that?"

"…really."

"Yeah! My team—" Bones fell a bit crestfallen, but still resumed his restless pacing as he continued. "They don't get it, you know? Like, you'd _think_ after everything we've seen and fought they'd believe me at _some_ point, right? Ahaaaa…"

"Uh-huh." Claw reached out and grabbed his shoulder to get him to stand still, and was actually mindful of his claws. "Well, then it's their loss, right? 'Cause they don't get to do cool stuff like this-!"

He lifted his claw and held it before Bones' face as if ready to snap fingers, then spoke a quick one-or-two-word incantation. With a feathery pop and hiss, a tiny fireball leapt to life just above his scaly palm, casting bright oranges and pick across Bones' features, which were beaming all on their own.

"_Whoa!_" He grinned hugely, eyes wide with child-like fascination. The brightness in his face didn't even die down when the flame vanished and Claw drew back. "Eagleclaw, that's amazing! So, then…!" He tapped the spine of the book. "That's a _spellbook_, right?"

"Sure is! Scrounged up the thing somewhere… thought I'd pick up some tricks on my own, you know?"

"Can I see?" Bones faltered when his brother recoiled a bit aggressively. He backed up a moment, raising his hands defensively. "Oh-oh, right, sorry. Hah, guess I wouldn't be able to use any of them anyway, Magic Code with spellbooks and all that."

"Uhhh—yeah!" Claw huffed. "Geez, Bonsey, I thought you knew better…!"

"I'm sorry, man! I got carried away, alright!?"

"_Anyway_…" He derailed a potential brotherly quarrel by opening the book. Thumbing through it was difficult, and he refused any help offered. "There was this one spell I wanted to try out. One that I need _your_ help with."

"Oh… yeah?" Bones nodded eagerly. "Right, okay. Just tell me what I need to do!"

"Just _stand still_-!" Claw grabbed him again to position him properly. "Right here in the light; had to wait for a full moon for this, y'know."

"Uh-huh?" His gaze wondered up to the large moon high in the sky above.

His elder brother looked him once over, and Bones never caught the wicked grin that spread across his face. "Perfect, brother… _perfect_."

Eagleclaw began a much longer series of incantations, olden words that started quiet and subdued, at first. As spiritual energies began to billow around him, the younger brother turned his gaze back to him, and as his words crept up in volume and power, so too did his façade begin to fade. As Bones' excited and almost _happy_ grin began to drop, he realized his dire mistake a moment too late, as the last syllable was belted out past a maniacal open-teeth smirk.

A wave of heat surged through him, and his body gave out a unnatural, violent lurch before he collapsed to his knees. He began to tremble intensely, hunched over and clutching all over himself, uncertain of what part of his body hurt more.

Eyes clenched tight to block out a red haze in his vision, he moaned out, "Eeeeag! –Le-LecllllLLLLAW—unh-_HUH_! What'ssSSSS hah-_happenn__**NNIING-?**_"

When the cacophony tearing through his skull took a moment to simmer down and he was able to hear anything, he found his brother to be _laughing hysterically_.

"Hoo, WOW! Oh man! I cannot _believe_-!" he whooped and hollered and pranced about above him. "—that you _actually fell for it!_"

"HhhHH-! A-**_aaaAAAAAA_**-" Pain crashed into him in white-hot flashes, causing a primal scream to tear through his throat. He crumpled further to the ground, and his body folded up and he choked out guttural spasms and retched at each snap and crackle as a forceful and violent change took over. "Gnggn, hunh, uhhnnggh…!"

"Ahaha, I mean, I knew magic was your thing and all but man! Did you end up using a spell that made you _super gullible?!_"

White knuckles grabbed and pulled at long hair in response to the utter madness that was running through him and making his blood steam. His skin began to itch until it felt like his pores were on fire; already, tighter areas of his clothing began to swell, dark feathers curling out between tearing seams.

"Heh, you know…" Eagleclaw towered above him, covered in shadow. "You only brought this on yourself."

"Hhhn-! **_U-URGH!_** _Huuu_unhn_nnh_…!"

He snapped the book closed. "Maybe if you had been a better brother, it wouldn't have had to come to this."

"—rrrRGHRK! Aaa-a…a-**_awk!_** _AWK_-!"

He smirked as a violently trembling hand reached up from him. "But it's a bit late for that now, isn't it?"

_Sn-NAP-CRACK!_

"**_AAAAWWWRRKKKK_**—"

"Ooh!" Eagleclaw cringed as the hand twisted and snapped into place, vicious claws shredding out from under the nailbeds. "_That_ sounded like it hurt."

He glanced down again to find that his brother had finally gathered up some strength to look up at him. A cruel irony that came to light made a sadistically sympathetic grin spread across his face. "Aww… look…"

He reached out a claw to caress the tufts of feathers that had grown from Eaglebones' cheeks. They had already spread across his forehead, peeking out from under the helmet and mask, crowding around his huge eyes and hardening nose.

"Your plume's finally growing in," he cooed in mockery. "Mom would be so proud."

Nothing more registered after that. The red-hot burn of betrayal clouded all of his senses, barely numbing the pain of his skull practically breaking down and rearranging, of his rashguard splitting as the rest of his plume of auburn feathers sprouted and formed into deformed wings across his arms, of another pair of fierce talons piercing clean through his shoes, of his knees snapping backwards into place and breaking the braces.

His body went through the last thralls of agony before it began to course with raw power and blistering rage. He heard a final whisper:

"_Heheh… you actually wear the Falconhawk look well, brother. Have fun._"

A primeval screech crowed through the midnight air.


	2. Chapter 2

It had come down to the wire in a grueling fight to the death. Gloved fists swung and fangs were bared and they clashed fiercely for dominance, a duel as old as time itself.

But there could only be one victor. And as the 8-bit red boxer fist slammed into the snake's face and dropped its health down to zero, victory went to Player One.

"WOO!" The Commander halfway leaped out of his beanbag chair, fistpumping and whooping and hollering. Beside him, Jimmy threw his hands up in exasperated defeat; his losing streak was on a roll all night and he was beginning to care less and less.

"Ahahaha! Woo! Yeah! Smokin'!" Eventually the Commander flopped back in his chair, nudging the robot by the shoulder. "_Man_, Robot, what's going on? You're way off your game tonight!"

"Sorry, Commander…" Jimmy shook his head, blinking curiously. "I suppose I'm a bit… distracted at the moment."

"Distracted?" The Commander scoffed, selecting a new game. "By what? There's only me, you, and Snake Boxer 3 here!"

"Hm… well!" He took his controller back into hand, though kept speaking as they played. "Eaglebones said he was simply stepping out for some fresh air, right?"

"Yeah…?"

"He's been gone for quite some time now…"

"And…?"

"And he didn't take his guitar, which you'll _have_ to admit is unusual for him…"

"Okay…?"

The robot pursed his lips in very mild annoyance. "It's just very strange circumstances, that's all."

"Jimmy, he's a big boy. I _think_ he can take care of himself."

"I have no doubt he can, Commander. I'm just… concerned."

The Commander jeered, his button-mashing intensifying as he smirked. "When he gets back I'm gonna tell him you think he's a big diaper baby~!"

"I do not!" Jimmy sat up fully to match his fervor.

"Biiiiiiiiiiiiig olllllllllllllllll' diaperrrrrrrrr babyyyyyy~!"

"Commande-!"

"_Screeeeeee-aaaaawww…_"

The robot paused. "…what on earth was that?" he said, his gaze searching for the source of the strange noise that certainly didn't come from the game. He barely noticed when the Commander cried out in celebration of yet another triumphant match. "Commander, did you hear that?"

"Hear what, the sweet stench of _victoy?_"

This time Jimmy actually rolled his eyes. "One, that's the incorrect sensory input. Two, I thought I heard something strange outside…"

He straightened up at another distant shriek. "There it is again! And I think it's getting closer…!"

Even as the Commander waved him off, Jimmy wasn't the only one to catch wind of the peculiar cry. Back in the bedroom, Crash quickly glanced up from where he was holding Ricky's feet down and helping him count crunches (admittedly he lost count at around fifty), quick to become worried.

"Whoa-wuh. W-what was that?"

"What was what?" Ricky grunted below, freezing at the crest of his sit-up when it echoed again. "Whoa, that?"

"Y-yeah! What _is_ that!?"

"Sounded… kinda like a bird," he shrugged, flinching at yet another one; they were getting louder and more frequent. "A _weird_ bird."

"Th-that doesn't sound like just _any_ bird!" Crash leapt to his feet in mounting panic, Ricky chuckling and shaking his head as he sat up and stretched his arms after his long workout. "It sounds like a… a… a _freaky bird man!_"

"Pff! I'm not afraid of any freaky bird man." As the drummer stood, he flicked his friend in the shoulder playfully. "We already _got_ one of our own."

Crash gaped, appalled. "H-hey! That's not even cool, take that b-back~!" He soon crumbled into a small giggle fit, however; as backhanded as that comment was, it _was_ pretty funny.

The pair shared a laugh at their bandmate's expense before a great crash rocked the entire BattleTram, sending them to the floor. "**_WHOA!_**"

Back in the command room, Jimmy dragged himself to his feet as the lights flickered red and alarms began to blare. "Commander! The BattleTram is under attack!"

"_Yes I can see that!_" the Commander hollered from under the table, struggling to find his balance and pull himself up as well. "Defensive maneuvers, quickly!"

The robot nodded tightly, dashing over to the control module to carry out the practiced procedure. Rapidly pressing flashing buttons and flicking switches into place, the Tram whirred to life, hot air hissing as doors clunked their locks shut.

Knowing of the protocol, Ricky and Crash stayed put until told otherwise, hugging close to the walls opposite of each other. As power shifted to the defense systems, the lights dimmed, leaving the two to stare at each other wide-eyed in the darkness. They kept still, suffocating in silence, Crash trying so hard not to scream and Ricky offering quiet glances of comfort as the two waited for something to happen.

There came another thundering screech, more threatening than ever before. Then there was an empowering swoop nearby, and the ceiling above them dented with a deafening crack.

The Commander shot up at the pair of screams echoing down the hall. "_Jimmy!_"

"On it!" The robot pounded on more switches, and, as an extra line of defense recently installed, a series of layered steel plating slid into place, completely covering the large vehicle. It was a last line of defense, and it drained the lights completely.

By the time shields were up, Ricky and Crash had found each other and were huddled together in terror, eyes fixed on the ceiling above. They trembled and flinched at the noises muffled by the metal; frantic scratching, clucks of confusion, angry chuffs of frustration.

Crash whimpered as it went on and even intensified, holding Ricky close. "Pleasegoawaypleasegoaway_pleasegoaway-!_"

"Shh!"

Just then, the unnerving sounds stopped. The pair held their breath, slowly glancing between the roof and each other.

"… you think it's gone?"

His answer was the gruesome sound of metal tearing open as a huge clawed hand smashed its way in through two layers of plated steel.

Ricky and Crash screamed, deciding now was a good time to break protocol and dart out the door as the monster pulled back and struggled to rip the hole open more. This stalled it long enough for the two of them to race down the hall and into the command room.

While Jimmy was scrambling across the control panel, the Commander met them halfway and pulled them away from the door as it sealed behind them. "Are you guys okay?"

"Y-yeah, we're fine!" Ricky panted.

"Something got in, Commander!" Crash howled as they all stumbled to the far wall. "It's big, and scary, and it's got huge claws, and it sounds like a big scary bird monster!"

"Yeah! It totally broke through the shields!" Ricky added, demonstrating with clawed fingers that managed to spook Crash. "Tore through the Tram's roof like paper!"

Jimmy joined them soon enough. "Commander, I've barricaded the rest of the doors, though I'm not certain they'll hold the creature back for long."

"Alright, okay, everyone!" the Commander took charge, trying to get the panic under control. "Whatever's gotten in is gonna find us eventually, so let's be ready for when it does!"

He faced the door and took a defensive stance, and the others followed suit. "Come and get us, freakasaurus! The Aquabats won't go down without a fight!"

A tense silence followed for a moment or two, then his challenge was met with solid pounding on the door, denting it in until it flew right off and clattered to the floor. The band squirmed in horror and pushed themselves back as a hulking shadow lumbered through the battered portal.

The lack of light covered most of its features, but they could see the plume of feathers puffing with each labored, inhuman breath, hideous claws scraping across the plated floor with slight sparks. They could even catch a glint of huge hazel eyes, laced with utter madness and sheer bloodlust.

Eyes that narrowed before the beast let out a shrill screech, gaining an entire round of screaming in return.

What followed was absolute chaos. It would've been a typical let's-keep-punching-it-until-it-stops-trying-to-ki ll-us kind of fight, but this was one of the toughest, fastest monsters they'd ever encountered. Jimmy had gone in right away to subdue it and had his arm torn off in an instant.

The giant bird creature was _fast_. Even as they all tried to jump it at once, it swung its mighty, deformed claws, pushing them all back as they dodged the sharp ends by inches. It very quickly gained the upper hand, chasing them around the room and slashing through walls and equipment like wet tissue.

Eventually, Jimmy broke off from the group, discarding his detached arm and raising his functioning one. "Commander! There's no stopping this thing! Permission to shoot?"

The Commander wouldn't have the chance to respond; that split second of attention he gave the robot was enough distraction for the monster to successfully tackle him to the ground, sliding to the other side of the room.

"**_Commander!_**"

Pinned to the ground with huge scaly claws, he gawked up at the monstrosity above him, sparks from the broken control panel lighting up revolting details in its visage. He then cowered and looked away as it shrieked in his face; at this point he was fairly certain he was done for.

Then…

"_…c…c-caw… cahmander…!_"

Cracking an eye open, he ventured a glance back at the beast again. For a brief moment, its eyes had lost their malice entirely and seemed… almost familiar.

"_Hhhhh-elp… me…!_"

"W…wha…?"

The bright blast of a laser slammed into the side of its face, and it tore away screeching, allowing the Commander to pull himself out from under and stagger to his feet. He met the others at the doorway, making sure he was well.

"Jimmy! We're not shooting this one down!" he then threw out the command that shocked everyone.

"_What!?_ Commander, that thing almost killed you!"

"Trust me on this one, Ricky," he replied stoically, looking the creature over as it nursed its wound. Suddenly more details were coming to light; the flashes of aqua blue in its plume, the torn belt, the stretched mask… all of it was coming together.

"_Whadda we do, Commander?_" Crash caterwauled.

"We're leading it to the cockpit! I have a plan!"

The Commander dashed down the hall, Jimmy and Crash close behind while Ricky stayed back to make sure they were being followed once the beast had recovered. As the robot forced the door to the cockpit open, he threw out behind him, "Commander! Are you sure about this?!"

"Positive, Jimmy! I got a gut feeling about this one! Scuse me~!" Once the door had been thrown open, The Commander squeezed himself in first, the others quickly following. "Get away from the door!" he ordered, ushered them each into the corners before throwing himself at the Tram's controls.

As the bird monster broke down the rest of the door, the plated steel that had wrapped around the front of the Tram began to unravel, revealing the desert landscape.

The Commander turned back, and he just couldn't help himself. "You look like you need a little _sun_, feather face!"

The beast froze in its tracks as the sun began to crawl its way up past the mountains, lighting a fantastic palette across the wide open sky. It faltered, bird legs staggering awkwardly, and the band covering their ears at the earsplitting scream that followed.

At a heavy thump and a burst of feathers, the Aquabats cowered together and watched the body covered by the cloud shift and change violently. They flinched and whimpered in sympathy at the especially loud cracks and gurgles.

When the transformation was complete, the sun's light slid across the floor to expose the once-terrible monster, reduced to a lanky figure covered only by tattered clothes that barely held together. The feathers settled in a pile around him, sticking to his long, ragged hair.

Realization was a lingering process. Crash was the first to intake a huge breath and cry out, "**_Eaglebones!_**"

Him and Ricky both hurried over to their fallen comrade, looking him over and trying to shake him awake without success. His face was stuck in a quietly pained expression.

Jimmy and the Commander could only glance at each other uneasily. Something had gone very, very wrong after he had stepped out.


	3. Chapter 3

Consciousness came to him gradually, almost calmly, in large contrast to the madness he had to endure. He didn't even ache one bit. Had he been more alert, he would've found this highly suspicious.

As he was now, the respite was a blessing. He didn't hurry to awaken, shifting only slightly with a soft groan and squeezing the sleep out of his eyes before cracking them open.

But all his sight registered was darkness, a hazy nothingness that made him question whether he actually opened his eyes or not. He opened his mouth to call out for someone, anyone, but all that came out was a sharp gasp as a bright spotlight flashed on with an echoing mechanical roar.

He lifted his hands to cover his eyes blearily, but his wrists felt heavy and weighed down. The sound of metal chains rattled, draping over his knees coldly.

"H…h-hello?" he croaked out uneasily, his throat hoarse and dry. "G-guys? Commander? Jimmy? A-anybody?"

Another clank resonated across the vastness, and then he heard voices, muffled and distorted as if they were underwater.

"_You sure this is all we can do?_"

"_Unfortunately, yes. I have no way of fixing him otherwise_."

He straightened up, recognizing at least one of the voices. "_J-Jimmy!_" He scrambled to sit up, but that exertion alone brought him great fatigue. Lifting his numbingly heavy arms, he trembled at the chained shackles clamped around his wrists, and he found another pair fastened to his ankles.

"_Man, that blows. Still…_"

"_He can't hurt anyone else this way. This is for the best_."

"Ha-hurt any—_what!?_" In mounting terror, he struggled in his chains, glancing up to spot a small window of light among the emptiness, two shadows peeking in to observe him. He struggled further, panting in desperation, "N-no! What happened!? Who's hurt? What'd I do!? _Jimmy, answer me, please!_"

"_After all, he only brought this on himself_."

His heart clenched painfully, and he slumped. "J-Jimmy, I… I'm sorry…" he choked, shoulders wracked with sobs. "I-I'm sorry! I was just—I didn't mean for it to-!" He flinched when the window slammed shut, disappearing altogether. "N… _NO!_" he cried out, straining his chains even more. "You can't just—_don't leave me here! PLEASE! Jimmy please don't leave me all alone like this please __**Jimmy-!**_"

Eaglebones startled awake in a cold sweat, crying the robot's name. He found himself in a completely different environment; though the lights were dim, he recognized the ceiling of the Tram's lab right away.

And on command, Jimmy popped into his line of vision, his usual stoic face wrought with worry. "I'm here, Eaglebones, I'm here."

All he could do at the moment was stare wide-eyed and pant heavily, waiting for everything in his distressed head to catch up.

Awkwardly, the robot continued, "It appears you've just awoken from a fever dream. If there's anything I can do to make you feel any bett—oh." Hardly phased by the tight embrace around his middle, Jimmy smiled and patted his friend's back in comfort. "There, there, it's alright. Are you well?"

As if reminded, his body immediately began protesting his sharp movements, his already delicate bones creaking and aching from earlier stress.

Not making any effort to pull away from the hug, Eaglebones shuddered and croaked out, "No."

The robot shook his head in amusement as he gently pushed the guitarist back down onto his cot. "Then if I were you, I'd refrain from stressing yourself too much. Your body's gone through some… admittedly _strange_ changes."

As he wandered away from the bedside, Eaglebones lolled his head over to watch him consult his notes. "J… Jimmy…"

"It's nothing terribly drastic, you seem to be stable now… but the levels of adrenaline I've measured are of the charts."

"Jimmy…!"

"Your super healing's been kicked into overdrive as well. Any traces of last night's injuries have all but vanished—"

"Jimmy!"

He turned back at that rasping cry, frowning apologetically. "Yes? What is it, Eaglebones?"

"Did I—" he gulped down strained words and tried again. "D-did I hurt anyone?"

The robot faltering did not give him confidence, and he started panicking all over again. "P-please tell me I didn't hurt anybody, Jimmy please-!"

"You didn't." He then smiled. "No one was seriously injured. You _did_ cause quite a bit of structural damage to the BattleTram, but all of that can always be repaired."

Relief washed over Eaglebones like a wave, and he physically relaxed for the first time since he woke up. Everything had been such a huge blur of pain and rage and despair, but that shred of good news was enough to bring him some peace.

Naturally, it would be short-lived, as that was only part of the larger issue at hand. He felt the cot shift and drearily glanced back over to Jimmy, who had sat down beside him with a grave expression.

"I've been ordered to let the others know when you're awake," he put in plain words. "They're going to want an explanation." He then paused and gave out a shrug, lightening up his posture a bit. "If you have one, of course."

"N-no, I. I, I do," Eaglebones nodded curtly, cringing at the effort. "It's totally my fault."

It hurt, watching the disappointment grace the robot's face, but he only nodded in response. He stood and left him alone again, switching on the intercom. "Attention, Aquabats. He is awake and stable."

As they waited, Eaglebones groaned and rubbed his head gingerly, sitting up. Once the ringing in his ears had dulled, he caught Jimmy's concerned voice, "Are you sure you should be sitting upright?"

"Mm. Laying down is making me dizzy."

"…Interesting." He was vaguely aware that the robot was watching him get comfortable as best he could, holding his lanky knees close, crossing them, uncrossing them, curling inwardly, not entirely sure what to _do_ with his suddenly awkward limbs. Sitting in any comfortable position wasn't comfortable at all anymore, and it quietly frustrated him.

He had finally opted to hugging his knees close to his face, his hair bunching up over his stiffened shoulders. To those entering the lab, he appeared puffed up and aggrevated.

But that did little to quell one's glee. "Eaglebones!" Crash beamed, rushing forward. Bones would a split second of terror before being enveloped in a mighty hug; if he wasn't massively uncomfortable before, he certainly was now. "_You're awake oh man last night was so scary are you ok oh no you're shaking are you cold do you need a blanket_—"

"Whoa, hey Crash, buddy, give him some space-!" As the Commander pulled him one way, Eaglebones practically squawked as he surged back the other way, twisting in on himself defensively, eyes huge in animalistic fright.

The room fell silent, apart from his heavy gulps for breath. Perhaps unwisely, Ricky ventured, "Dude. Are you okay?"

That was the second time, and frankly, no, he didn't feel any better from the first time he was asked. He let out a quivering sigh, and replied, "I'm fine."

"_Good_." He winced, slowly glancing over at the Commander. His arms were crossed in a rare moment of actual seriousness. "'Cause you've got a lot of explaining to do."

Eaglebones was dreading this moment above all else. All eyes were on him; his gaze snapped rather rapidly between them, and though they varied from intense to concerned, they all held shame and disappointment, at least to him.

"L-listen, I-!" he stuttered out. "I, I don't remember a lot of what happened last night but I swear, I was outta control, I didn't want to hurt anyone and I'm sorry I broke the BattleTram, I just, I-I'm sorry-!"

"_A-tat-tat-tat!_" The Commander interrupted, roughly waving him off and grabbing his full attention again. "None of that matters right now, Eaglebones. What matters is that you left, disappeared for hours, and whe you came back you were a hulking bird beast in a murderous rampage!"

"Yeah!" Crash practically startled his jittering bandmate. "You were mondo scary!"

"And tough!" Ricky added, more excited than frightened. "You ripped right through the Level 2 Defense Shields like they were nothing! With huge claws!"

Eaglebones went quiet as he looked over his trembling hands. "I… I did?" He clenched them tight and snapped his gaze back up, his head cocking to the side subconsciously. "How did you guys s-stop me?"

"Sunlight!" Jimmy replied. "Once the sun rose, you collapsed and transformed back."

"My idea, by the way," the Commander cut in.

Eaglebones took a moment to soak this in as Jimmy continued, "Now, you've never had these lycanthrope-like tendencies until now. Which leads us to believe something happened after you left the BattleTram last night."

A lump formed in his throat, and he stopped making eye contact with the others, huddling up again and staring at the floor.

"So what happened, Eaglebones?"

Some time passed in tense silence. Crash, who was usually not so subtle, managed to briefly slip out of the room during that suffocating moment.

Eventually, Eaglebones sighed deeply. "…yesterday, I… got a message from my brother." He tried very hard to ignore their instant change in posture. "He told me to meet him in the desert, alone and unarmed."

"And you went and _did it!?_" He cringed, quietly enduring the Commander's immediately accusing tone. "You trusted the guy who tried to blow us up with a bird backpack bomb?"

"…I just… I thought maybe—"

"Maybe what? That he'd want to 'talk things out?'" His eyes screwed shut, his temper beginning to bubble. "Eagleclaw's tried to take you out _twice_, what makes you think he'd—"

"_Because he's my brother!_" he lashed out, this time startling everyone else in return. With his shoulders hunched up, his hair puffed out and eerily added to his angered scowl. "Is it really so wrong to hope he'd want to make amends!? _Is it really!?_"

Another round of awkward silence. Though the Commander clearly looked indignant, Jimmy's warning glance kept him quiet.

"So what happened when you met up with him?" Ricky asked.

"He tricked me, what else!?" Eaglebones threw up his arms in frustration, curling right back up with his hand at his temple unbelievingly. "He, had this book, a _spellbook_ he found, and… and he was showing me a few spells he learned and…!" His throat tightened. "And it… made me feel like… like I wasn't…"

"…Wasn't what?"

He swallowed hard and shook his head rapidly. "Nevermind, nothing," he got out bitterly, wrapping his limbs up all over again. He was more uncomfortable that ever. "He told me he wanted to try out a spell that would require help, so I agreed, and—" He scoffed at his own idiocy. "He went and cursed me, I guess. Everything after that was a huge blur, but I wanna say I wandered the desert for a while before I found the BattleTram."

The silence that follower was thick and hot, or maybe that was his own feverish head. Either way, the looks they gave each other, and the fact that even the Commander had grown appropriately worried, did little to bring him any comfort. He would've rather suffered an endless, guilt-heavy lecture than this uncertainty.

"Look, I—I know I should've told you," he caved in, hoping to save himself from a nameless, terrible fate. "This is completely my fault, I just…" He dragged his hurt gaze up. "I just didn't want you guys getting involved. After last time, I didn't want any of you getting hurt again by our stupid rivalry." It dropped again as he chuckled miserably and choked out, "Guess I haven't learned a thing-!"

Before he could descend into further self-loathing, he froze as a blanket was kindly draped over his shoulders. He hadn't even noticed Crash has returned, much less approach from behind to give him his own form of comfort. The bassist met his wide stare with a big grin.

Crash would remain at his side as he tugged the blanket closer around himself, and with a shaky sigh, continued. "I don't know what to do," Eaglebones admitted flatly. "I've never heard of the spell he used, so I have no idea how to go about breaking it."

He noticed them trading glances again, assuming the worst. "I know you guys don't believe me, but—"

"Well then!" the Commander completely interrupted him, having regained his air of determination. "Guess it's on us to figure out!"

Eaglebones glanced up in surprise as he began belting out orders. "Jimmy, I'm gonna need you to look into this. I know magic's not your forte, but…"

The robot shook his head confidently. "Nonsense, Commander. Theoretically, magic follows its own set of rules and principles; it's simply another kind of science. I'm certain I can find the answers we need in due time."

"Awesome, good hustle, robot." Eaglebones was frozen in a gawk between them before the Commander turned away. "Ricky, you and me are tracking Eagleclaw down before he can put anyone else in danger with his new gnarly powers."

"Right!"

Eaglebones could hardly believe what he was hearing. "You… you guys… believe me-?"

"What about me, Commander?" He nearly toppled off the table, scared senseless when Crash piped up beside him eagerly, and loudly.

The Commander regarded the pair, noting their contrast in stance and expression. Then, possibly against better judgment, he decided, "Crash, you're gonna be taking care of Eaglebones."

The gap between them widened, as Crash brightened up while Bones sank in mortification. "Don't leave his side. Make him comfy, give 'em what he needs, and all that good stuff."

While Crash seemed rather in favor, nodding quickly in response to each part of that tall order, Eaglebones coiled tighter into his blanket, hiding his face, reddened in humiliation. As much as he understood the precautions being taken here, the thought of having to be 'cared for' like a sick child was a harsh blow on his pride.

It didn't help when he caught mumbling voices, his hearing much more sensitive since last night, and he peeked a glimpse up to find the Commander had pulled Crash aside. "Make sure to keep him calm too. We definitely wanna avoid him transforming and wrecking havoc again if we can help it."

"What do I do if he _does_ transform, though?"

"Than you gotta subdue him. Simple."

Eaglebones began to seethe. Right there, he was sitting _right there_ and they had the _nerve_ to talk about him like some kind of _animal_ they had to _keep control of, he was terrified out of his mind enough as it was and they were treating him less like a friend and more like a threat, like a __**liability**_—

"Okay! You got it, Commander!" Just as his anger reached a boiling point, he went completely rigid as Crash wrapped him up in another tight hug. "Don't worry, pal, I'll take good care of you! Promise!"

"G-geh, get—**_OFFA ME!_**" Eaglebones screeched so loudly and suddenly that _every_ one of them leaped back, not just Crash. He would've even startled himself if he hadn't been filled to burst with blistering rage.

"What do you think I am, some kind of _idiot!?_" he screamed and screamed and continued to scream, his white-hot fury only swelling greater, "Some stupid helpless child who can't handle himself!? Okay, _fine_, I _get_ it, you're all pretending to believe me so that I don't go ballistic, _fine_, I can _accept_ that, but I'm not a dumb sniveling kid with a freakin' cold, _I'm under my lunatic brother's curse and I might be a horrible monster now but I'm still an adult and I can handle it myself and I __**DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!**_"

He flinched slightly at a high-pitched whine that broke his concentrated rage. Frantically, his flinted eyes searched for the source of the sound, and he took in a breath and held it painfully when he caught sight of Jimmy's laser fingertips, open, exposed, and pointed directly at him.

His gut churned in mounting dread. Audible cracks sounded off as his face, contorted in more than just anger, began to loosen in horrid realization, his hair losing its body and drooping to cage that face. His skin was left crawling, just on the verge of a painful itch, and muscles once pumping with adrenaline not a moment before began to quaver.

He regarded each one of his friends, forced to take defensive poses as they looked up at him warily. Yes, _up_. The guitarist had managed to press himself up into the corner where the wall met the ceiling, though he had no recollection of how he got up there or even how he was still holding himself in place now.

No one dared to speak, but the fear and caution showed through plain as day. Crash looked like he was about to cry.

Eaglebones took this moment to wearily recollect on the past minute or so, his heart sinking. Had he really just thought and said all those awful things? He felt like throwing up; his friends, his dear sweet friends were offering help, all the help he so desperately needed, and he repaid them by uselessly lashing out.

He let out a choke, then lost the strength that held him up and limply dropped out of the air. Crash and Ricky instantly charged forward, catching him from either side and gently lowering him back down on the cot.

"S…s-sorry… I-I'm…!" He curled in on himself all over again, shivering deeply. His head was splitting, too. He felt like he was going to be sick. "I'm so sorry, I… I wasn't—I-I didn't mean—oh man, I'm just… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

He heard a sigh; it could've easily been taken as pitiful, or disappointed, but in reality it was only relieved. The Commander quietly instructed the robot to stand down, and Jimmy made an agreeing, concerned grunt in response.

Eaglebones' soft panting halted when Crash finally braved a pat atop his head. He paused, unsure for a moment, then butted his head up into the touch, suddenly aching for warm contact. This time he willingly buried himself in a less tight embrace from his larger friend, throwing pride completely out the window; it was clear he had no room for it. Not now.

Another sigh, then, "…Aquabats."

The team all turned to their leader at that unusually soft-spoken command. Eaglebones turned halfway away from Crash's chest, unable to mask the shame in his large eyes.

"Let's get to work."


	4. Chapter 4

The Commander was starting to fall asleep. It was only three o'clock in the afternoon.

Then again, when all you had to stare at was the wide expanse of desert as far as the eye could see, the boredom was bound to tire him out, no matter how brightly the sand reflected the sun's empowering light and heat. Sat in the passenger seat as usual, the Commander nodded off a good three times over the course of their search, bashing his head on the dashboard the second time.

As he shook himself to adequate alertness, he mumbled, "Anything yet?"

"Nnnnnope," Ricky replied, eyes attentively scanning the landscape as he drove the BattleTram nice and easy; the repairs had been minimal thus far, only the worst areas patched, so caution was necessary. "We still got a lotta desert to cover. He couldn't have gotten _too_ far…"

Yawning, the Commander rubbed his face groggily. "How are we fixed on gas?"

"'Bout half a tank. We got some reserves, but if we use 'em it should be before the sun sets."

He took in this information and weighed his options, and eventually he lurched out of his chair, slapping his own face one more time to wake himself up. "Right, then! Keep combing the desert, Ricky. Hopefully you're right and we'll find him soon before he does anymore damage."

"I'm on it, Commander." The drummer briefly broke his gaze away when he realized he was being left alone. "Where are you going?"

"Gonna go check on everyone else!" he forced out some of his enthusiasm. "Gotta gauge the situation and all, right?"

Ricky nodded in agreement, turning his eyes back up front. "Totally." He frowned. "… hope Eaglebones is okay."

The Commander faltered as well, but he maintained the peppiness in his voice. "Aww, he's _fiiiiiine_. Crash is with him, he's fine, I'm gonna go check on them _right now_ and they're gonna be _totally fine_."

Of course, he knew better. If horror movies had taught him anything, it's that things like this only get worse and worse. And man, he was _not_ looking forward to seeing how ugly it could possibly get. Not to his bandmate. He already had his fair share of nightmares about it last night.

So instead he ventured into Jimmy's lab. The robot was hard at work, hunched over the table and flanked by piles of old, dusty books. He flipped through one in hand, his eyes literally scanning every page for vital information, only stopping on crucial spots in order to take notes.

The Commander was nothing short of impressed, hands at his hips as he stood behind the robot and announced himself with, "How's progress, Jimmy?"

Hardly startled, he replied, "It's coming along, Commander. I'm finding information scattered about through the these tomes, and I'm doing my best to piece them together. As I expected, everything seems to follow a set code of principles."

"Where'd you get all these books from?" He watched Jimmy place the book he was reading on a pile to his right, then took it into hand himself, curiously perusing the pages.

"From Eaglebones, actually! I asked him if I could utilize the library he's been accumulating over time." He paused before opening the next volume he had grabbed. "He seemed rather surprised that I asked."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" the Commander threw out, making a face at a weird indecipherable picture before closing and replacing the book. "We watched him change with our own eyeballs and he's still shocked that we're taking this seriously."

"Given our history of dismissing his abilities, I think it's quite understandable that he'd be confused by our sincerity." Jimmy scanned over a series of pages before finally bringing his gaze up to the Commander. His irises were still spinning in analysis, but his actual expression was appropriately concerned. "Not to mention the curse is obviously affecting him mentally as well as physically. I even have reason to believe he knows more than he's leading on."

"Huh. I thought that was just him being a prideful brat," the Commander scoffed, throwing up a hand in exasperation. "So why don't we go drill him for more info?"

Jimmy cocked an eyebrow. "And risk igniting the curse's fury within him?"

The Commander rapidly reconsidered, pointing a finger in confirmation. "Good point." He lingered as Jimmy continued his work, crossing his arms and sighing in thought. "So, we know it's triggered by emotion instead of the full moon, huh?"

"That's correct. From what I've gathered, lycanthropy, or shapeshifting, normally takes years to master, and that's for those who've been gifted with the ability at birth."

"Hey! Like Pilgrim Boy!"

Jimmy nodded. "Yes, that's right. But as you remember, his was voluntary, as well as excruciatingly painful. _Forced_ shapeshifting, which I'm guessing is the category Eaglebones' curse falls in… I imagine it's much, much worse."

The Commander chewed on his lip and said softly, "Y, you don't say."

The robot consulted his notes. "I found a passage that describes instances of forced shapeshifting; they're often restricted to a single type of transformation, and the worst of them are horridly feral, constantly at war internally with the host." At this point he was stricken enough to falter himself. "… which is what we should be expecting is happening to Eaglebones right now."

He was right; it truly _was_ getting worse. The Commander gulped, beginning to grow ill. "I should… really go check up on them," he got out, moving back towards the door. "Keep at it, Robot."

Jimmy turned fully in his chair to watch him leave. "Commander… be careful. This is a very delicate situation we're dealing with."

"Yeah, I know," he blurted out, shaking his head and laughing at himself tiredly. "Why'd I put Crash in charge of keeping him company again?"

The robot's look softened. "For what it's worth, Crash is very good at taking care of others. I do believe you made the right choice, there."

The Commander hesitated, then nodded in response. "Thanks, Jimmy."

He wandered down the hall, distracted by his mounting worry. As nice as it was to be reassured that he was handling this 'delicate situation' as best he could, he dreaded the point it would all spiral out of control the moment that feral beast of a bird persuasion would inevitably win over their struggling guitarist.

He tried not to think too deeply about it, instead trying to consider alternative courses of action, when he bumped into their large bassist coming out of the kitchen.

"Oops! S-sorry, Commander," Crash immediately apologized.

He took a moment to gain his bearings. "Whoa, ha whoa there, Crash-!" He placed distance between them with a hand pressed to Crash's shoulder; it was a little chilled, as if he had just spent a long time rifling through the fridge.

Remembering himself, his brow creased in realization. "_Whoaaa_, hey, wait a second." Instantly, Crash averted his gaze in guilt. "Didn't I say not to leave his side?"

"I-I know, I know you did!" His shoulders hunched up tensely as he pleaded his case. "I haven't been gone long, I was just, Bones was starting to get really hungry, so I…!"

The Commander followed his stare down to the messy (and smelly) chow in his hands, then back up to regard Crash with a raised brow. "…that's _raw meat_ you got there."

He sighed deeply. "I _know_, but that's what he wants. He wouldn't take any of the snacks I packed, not even the cold pizza!"

The singer gulped down bile just barely. Man, this was starting to get really bad. "…mind if I… observe you guys for a bit?"

Crash bit his lip. "Mmnnn, I dunno if that's a good idea. He's _really_ on edge right now."

As frustrating as that answer made him, he nodded in understanding, glad that even Crash was aware of the gravity of the situation. "No problem, I'll hang around the doorway. I won't bug you guys at all, I promise."

The bassist seemed very reluctant, but either way, he replied, "Okay."

The Commander followed a good few paces behind Crash, letting him enter the bedroom first before peeking his head around the door's frame. "What the…?" He was perplexed by the pile of blankets stripped from all the beds and sprawled out across the floor, arranged in a circular shape, packed especially thicker towards the center.

It took him a moment to realize it was a _giant nest_.

"Eaglebones! I found some!" At Crash's cheerful greeting, the blanket-nest rustled, and the middle caved in a bit as the guitarist popped up, eyes wide in alarm darting around as he surveyed his surroundings. His head was cocked kinda funny, and his arms were folded up at his sides, much like a raptor. When he spotted Crash, his face lit up, his hair puffed very slightly, and his arms gave a reflexive flap.

"I _think_ it's still good… I think we… uh." Crash grew uneasy as he presented the meat to him and he only stared at it, starting to drool. "I think we were saving it for a barbeque this weekend, but—"

He yelped as Eaglebones surged forward and snapped his teeth, digging into the slick sirloin and tearing it from Crash's hands. Greedily, he began devouring it, morsels of meat dropping between his fingers, his chomping and chewing accented by small gulps, retches, and the occasional, unattractive belch.

Crash looked incredibly concerned, and wanted to point out that the juices were getting all over his face and in his hair, and how that made him look scary, but he wisely decided against it. He instead reverted to small talk, "Erm, so, how is it, buddy?"

Eaglebones drew back, wiping his lips and giving out a lurching heave, and with a humorless chuckle, replied, "I-it tastes absolutely _horrible_."

The bassist shot up in alarm. "O-oh no! Bones, I, I-I'm so sorry, I brought you bad meat, oh no-!"

Equally panicked, Eaglebones waved a sticky hand, trying to calm him down. "W-wait, no, Crash, it's not you, I didn't mean—"

"H-here, lemme take it back and try cooking it, maybe that'll—"

Even the Commander jumped back a bit at the shrill screech that came out of Eaglebones. With one hand clutching his meal to his chest protectively, he immediately slapped the other over his mouth, eyes impossibly large.

There was a moment of tense silence where the two stared at each other; it was hard to figure out which one of them was more scared. Eventually, Eaglebones' gaze dropped down to his meat, and he began to tremble.

"C…C-Crash, I—" Only then did he come forward to offer a hand on his anguished friend's shoulder. "Dude, I, I'm s-sorry, I… it's fine, the meat's fine, I just… I-I…!"

"Shhhh…" Crash hushed him gently, taking his other hand and wiping away some of the bloodied meat juices from his cheeks. "It's okay, buddy, don't worry. Everything's gonna be okay…"

Eaglebones gave out a sputtering breath that was halfway between a laugh and a sob. "N-no it's not, Crash, it's not okay, it's _not,_ I'm, I'm losing control here-!"

"Shhhh, come on, Eaglebones…"

"I can't do this, Crash, I _can't do this-!_"

"Sure you can! At least _I_ believe you can…" His hand came down to take his wrist and lift his hand holding the dripping meat. "Is this what you want to eat?" Miserably, Eaglebones nodded. "Then go ahead and eat it. You'll be able to fight it off better with a full tummy anyway."

Grimacing, the cursed guitarist raised it to his lips again and took a dismal bite. Gradually, he picked up a pace to a little over half his previous fervor, but now in between the gulps he choked out hiccups and sniffles.

"Awwww, shhhhh…" Crash continued to softly comfort him, now wiping away tears from his eyes instead. "You can do this! The Eaglebones I know is one tough customer!" His attempted grin faded as the tears only kept flowing. "Awww, Eaglebones…"

As he gradually stopped eating and curled in on himself again, Crash graciously draped his over him, rubbing his back as he descended into pure, quiet sobbing. "_Shhhh_…"

That was about as much as the Commander could take. Without bringing any attention to himself, he left the two alone and wearily made his way back up towards the cockpit of the BattleTram to rejoin Ricky. After witnessing such a haunting scene, another round of boredom felt like a blessing.

_It was all worse than he could've possibly imagined._


	5. Chapter 5

He had to admit, the desert sky looked pretty awesome during a sunset.

Acting as lookout, the Commander leaned against the side of the BattleTram, watching the horizon descend into deep, dark hues of burgundy as the sun sank under the distant crags of bleached rock. Given their current situation, it should've been terribly ominous, but he just couldn't bring himself to worry about it. Taking that nap in the passenger seat for a few hours managed to bring him out of his terrified rut to a neutral, cautious optimism.

Things will work out. They _always_ do. They _have to_.

Crossing his arms and pursing his lips tensely, he hollered out, "Ricky? You almost done or what?"

"Getting there!" Ricky called back from the rear-end of the Tram, accenting with a manly grunt as he heaved a full tankard of fuel up to pour into the port. "Last one!"

The Commander nodded back, just as the side door was pushed open. He turned to watch the robot step onto the cracked earth, nodding to him as well. "Heyyyy, Jimmy. You got our answer?"

"I do." The Commander raised a brow, concerned about the robot's weary look. _That_ wasn't a good sign. "But it's not going to be easy."

Attempting to save face, he sputtered out a scoff. "When is it ever?"

Out of immediate earshot, Ricky kept gradually tilting the giant can up, emptying the smelly clear liquid into the tank. At some point, he glanced up and blinked, not noticing Jimmy had come out, and watched their quiet discussion with interest. As the robot explained the situation, the Commander's posture quickly began to slump; if it was in any amount of dread, he hid behind contemplative gestures, one hand at his hip and the other at his chin, occasionally nodding in response.

Ricky lingered, unease beginning to mount, when he glanced back down and realized the barrel was emptied. He distracted himself with work, fumbling to lift the two empty tanks into each arm to take back inside to recycle later.

"…mm, right! Well…" Bumbling with full arms, Ricky entered the conversation halfway in. He threw the Commander an ingenuous gaze, even though he looked too deep in thought to notice him. "Only question is, do we let him know?"

Jimmy sighed, and Ricky turned to look at him next. "As risky as it would be… I don't think it would be wise to leave him out of the dialogue. You saw how much that enraged him last time."

There was a pause, the drummer's eyes darting back and forth between their troubled expressions. Then the robot continued, "If my assumptions are correct, he already knows and he won't be too upset by the news."

The Commander jabbed his hands into his pockets, shoulders arching. "Yeah, well… that's a pretty huge 'if.'"

"It is," Jimmy agreed, meeting his gaze levelly. "But we have to remember… no matter what he's become, he's still our friend. He deserves to be treated as such."

"Yeah… right."

"Um… guys?" Ricky shrank a bit when they both turned his way, noticing him for the first time since he walked up. "What's going on?"

The Commander collected himself, strengthening his composure as best he could, and responded, "We're venturing into the lion's den." His dramatic air deflated. "…or. Hawk's nest. Whatever."

"I'll explain to everyone my findings inside," Jimmy added. "…Be on your guard."

Ricky visibly gulped, but curtly nodded and hopped into the tram first to unload, the others following solemnly. They marched down the hall, warily watching ahead of them, not knowing what to expect as they approached the bedroom.

But the surprise would turn out to be pleasant, as soft notes reached their ears even before the doorway came into view.

"Ahh…" Jimmy relaxed right away, sharing a relieved grin with his comrades.

"_That's_ more like it," the Commander approved, and as an aside, "…good on ya, Crash."

The trio kept behind the doorway and peeked at the serene sight inside. The blanket-nest had flattened and spread out more across the floor; on one end, Crash, with bass in hand, was smiling up at his charge next to him, creating deep, humming tones that cradled the lighter timbres of the singing guitar.

Eaglebones was the most tranquil he'd been since he'd been cursed. His eyes were gently closed as his fingers glided effortlessly across the strings from pure muscle memory, producing a slow, easy, calming song. Periodically he'd peep up and whistle along, a few notes rolling and trilling in his throat. Any hints of the internal battle clashing within him were quieted down, buried under the tendrils of soothing music they were making together.

With a final chord, their song ended. Crash's tiny chuckle of glee was infectious, getting the guitarist to smile crookedly, almost as brightly as his normal big grins.

A soft tapping against the wall got them both to straighten up. Instantly, Eaglebones' hair puffed out a bit in slight alarm before his wide eyes shot over to the door. In a small panic, Crash hovered close to him protectively as he followed his gaze, and they both watched the other Aquabats slowly filter into the room.

All eyes were on their cursed guitarist. And in response, surprisingly, he took a moment to intake a deep breath, obviously a calming mechanism he'd been practicing. As his hair flattened back down, a wave of relief washed over the entire room.

"H, hey guys," he croaked in greeting.

"_Eaglebones!_" the Commander forced out a jolly laugh. "How're you holdin' up, buddy?"

Eaglebones didn't respond right away, handing his guitar off to Crash and watching him as he started bunching up the blankets around him again. He then turned back to give the Commander a half-grin and said, "Managing."

"Hey, well, that-! …that's _great_, man," the Commander smiled sheepishly, lowering his voice as Jimmy gave him a warning, shushing gesture.

He then motioned for their leader to proceed, and the Commander stood tall to take charge. "Aquabats, listen up."

Glances were traded (Eaglebones' head movements between the others were still jerky and erratic, but he was otherwise unperturbed) as he continued, "It looks like we've got a plan of action. Jimmy's cracked the code, so to speak, and if things work out, we'll have Eaglebones' curse done away with soon enough."

It felt good, watching the hopeful expression cross the young guitarist's face. The Commander nodded to Jimmy. "You wanna take it from here, Robot?"

"Gladly." Jimmy stepped forward, addressing the cursed one. "Eaglebones, I may have found the spell your brother used. Did it go a little something like this-?"

Reaching into his data banks with a shiny finger at his temple, the robot begin to flatly recite a series of incantations. Immediately, Eaglebones blanched, body going rigid and hair puffing up again and eyes popping open and arms folding up and every bit of his curse showing plain as day all over again.

The others stood their ground, expecting the worst, and recoiled as he reached out. "S-stop! _Stop_, stop—" Jimmy blinked, and did so, less afraid and more concerned as Eaglebones hands trembled before he gestured with emphasis, "That… _yes_. D-don't finish it, but yeah, that's the one."

"Ah… good." The entire room seemed to heave out a sigh as Eaglebones withdrew back into the blanket-nest that Crash had re-erected. He was able to somewhat relax, but there was no chance of returning to the serenity he had earlier. "It makes sense that you wouldn't have known about it before, because it is categorized as an _Elder Spell_."

The guitarist went slightly pale, just as Jimmy was expecting. "…You know what an Elder Spell is, don't you, Eaglebones?"

"Y… yeah, yeah I do," he swallowed, nodding tightly. "Ancient magic. Better known as D-Dark Arts… mainly because they arose during the Dark Ages, but… over time, the… meaning of that changed."

"Correct! Now…" Jimmy then turned to address the others, who were doing their best to keep up. "Magic, in all forms, follows a set of rules and principles, just as I had theorized before. What's interesting is that this 'Magic Code' applies to different kinds of magic in different ways. Modern magic, for example…" A small chuckle. "…more or less follows the Magic Code as more of a _suggestion_."

Ricky snickered, catching on. "So it breaks the rules a lot, or what?"

"Sort of! More like there are countless loopholes a caster can extort. But that's another discussion entirely." While the robot addressed the room as a whole, his attention hovered around Eaglebones, who looked less than amused. Which meant he knew where this was going, and his assumptions were right after all. "Elder Spells, however… those are set in stone. They follow the Code to the letter. No exceptions."

"S-so, what does the Code say we have to do?" Crash piped up, easily spooking his charge beside him.

"We have little choice. The only one who can break the curse is the one who possesses the book that spell originated from."

The room fell silent. Then, as a clear punctuation, the Commander stoically added, "Which means finding Eagleclaw is now number-one priority."

Once more, all eyes turned to Eaglebones, who already was shaking his head in disbelief. Bravely, the Commander approached him at the side. "Look, I know it's not what you wanna hear, we're not too thrilled about it either, but—"

A pained half-laugh interrupted him, and he appropriately began to worry as Eaglebones shook his head a bit more roughly before he dragged up a tortured, gaping smirk of incredulity. "Hah-he's not gonna agree to _that-!_"

Jimmy's concern began to mount as well; this was not the reaction he was expecting. Nor was he or anyone else expecting the Commander to bite back with, "Well, then we're gonna _make_ him agree."

Eaglebones looked as though he'd been physically hit. "_C-Commander!_ You can't just—He's my-!"

"H-HEY." Ricky cut in rather eagerly, wincing a bit when, once again, attention swiveled his way so suddenly. "U-Uh—what if we tried _stealing_ the book from him? Wouldn't it be in _our_ possession, then?"

Jimmy sighed delicately. "That's one of the loopholes I meant, Ricky. If this was not an Elder Spell, then yes, that would've been a possibility. But the only way _we_ would have the chance of breaking the curse is if Eagleclaw was to willingly discard or pass the spellbook onto us."

Eaglebones openly groaned, flopping back into the blankets and covering his face in anguish.

"Oh, would you _please_ grow up," the Commander grumbled, his patience wearing dangerously thin, as well as all sense of rationality. "You heard the robot, we're out of other options, here!"

"Commander, _please-!_"

"Ohhhhh no, uh-uh, the plan's been made already. And if you want rid of this curse you'll just have to grin and bear it! Alright!?"

No one, not even the Commander himself, knew where this burst of brutal candor was coming from. And as terrifying as it was to add that to the growing tension choking the entire room, none of the other Aquabats really had the audacity to challenge him.

With that settled, he turned to begin belting out orders as usual. "Jimmy, you're taking over as driver. Ricky, you're going out on foot surveillance. We need to cover as much ground in as little time as we can before we lose track of him for good. _We need to find this magic-spewing jerk and make him give our friend back. __**Let's go!**_"

They all stared at each other for a moment before Jimmy and Ricky scrambled for the door. The Commander was close behind, a force to be reckoned with.

"Wh…w-what about m—"

"Crash, you stay here with Eaglebones."

"I—okay."

After watching them leave the two of them alone once more, Crash fearfully brought his troubled gaze back down to Eaglebones, who hadn't moved from where he collapsed within the circle of blankets. His face was still buried in his hands.

Crash hesitated, reasonably, but concern won over any fears and he leaned a little closer, wondering where to begin to comfort him. He didn't think small chitchat or food or even music could help right now; from here, he could hear his friend moaning out small muffled "no, no, nonono"s over and over.

"B…Bones?" he ventured. The muttering stopped, but otherwise he remained still. "It, it's okay. It's gonna be okay."

Eaglebones started to shudder, wheezing out half-sentences. "…don't… I don't…"

"They're just, they're trying their best to help, it's gonna work out, we're gonna do it, we just gotta find your brother and then-!"

"I don't _want_ to find him," Eaglebones gritted out through clenched teeth. Crash immediately drew back as his hands clenched too. "I don't _want_ to confront him, I don't even wanna _TALK_ to him!"

He pulled his balled fists away from his face, threw himself upright and directed a heated sneer at the bassist. "I've _TRIED_ to talk to him, I've _TRIED_ to make amends, and you know what he did, Crash, _do you know what he did!?_"

Under the tremendous emotional pressure, Crash bit his trembling lip and meekly shook his head. "He _tricked me_, Crash! He took-!" In rapidly mounting anger, Eaglebones elbowed and swatted at the blanket-nest's walls, breaking it down before shooting up onto his feet. "—something that mattered a whole freakin' lot to me and he _used it against me_ without _ANY_ remorse whatsoever, and if he had the **_GALL_**—" He began pacing in sharp circles. "—to curse me in the _first_ place, what makes anyone in this _STUPID TRAM_ think he's gonna just wheel back around and break it _just like that!?_"

Cowering against the wall, Crash balked as he realized Eaglebones was waiting for an answer, panting and shaking and glowering menacingly over him.

He honestly wasn't sure what the right answer was, but before he could think twice, out came, "H, how do you know he won't?"

"_Because he doesn't care about me anymore!_" Eaglebones shrieked, thankfully turning away only to smash a fist against the wall, which dented with little effort on his part. Crash too began to tremble, along with his unstable voice as he continued, "He's never going to forgive me for what I've done to him in the past, no matter how much I try it's just never going to happen and it _KILLS ME knowing that_—"

He swiveled back around, absolutely furious and distressed and tears peeking out and beginning to mark trails down his cheeks. "—_that no matter what I do __**I'LL NEVER HAVE MY BROTHER BACK**_—"

His screaming was cut by a choked gasp as his body lurched violently. Crash straightened up as Eaglebones staggered, clutching himself, barely able to keep upright before he dragged his gaze up to meet him. The shift from boiling rage to primal terror in his impossibly wide eyes was a truly heartbreaking sight.

He retched again, ascending into yowling screeches as the pain began to hit. Crash leaped to his feet, but was not yet brave enough to catch him before his body thumped against the cold steel wall.

"Oh no, no, no no no no no-!" Crash began to full-on panic, watching his body shift and snap as the transformation began to take hold. "Nonono, Bones, you gotta fight it, you gotta stop it-!"

"I—Iii_iiII_ ca-**_HHHAAA_**_-n't-!_" Eaglebones' throat constricted and forced out guttural gurgles and avian-like clicks and titters. Struggling to pull air into his lungs, he slumped against the wall and rasped out, "_Ihhnt's too—late I can't—hhhh__**hhNNARRGH!**_"

Crash was at a complete loss of what to do. He was nowhere near prepared for this, but as Eaglebones kept screaming, descending into open weeping in agony, the bassist could only swoop in and pull him into a full embrace. Whimpering, he immediately responded by throwing his contorting arms around him in return, clinging tightly with quivering sobs as his body continued to heave and throb and pulse with power. Crash could feel it building, within the protective bear hug he felt muscles expanding, bones snapping into crueler shapes, his rashguard swelling as plumes of auburn feathers spread beneath it and split the seams open.

And Eaglebones just kept choking and screaming and crying out, and Crash could only think to squeeze him closer and whisper, "Shhh, sh-shhh, _shhhh_…!"

Because in addition to the raw, maddening pain, he could see in his poor friend's twisting face that he was _scared_, more scared than Crash could ever be of him. That's why, even as he winced at the crackling fingers digging fresh claws into the lycra at his back, Crash didn't pull away, could _never_ bring himself to pull away, not now, not when he was needed most.

"C. C-cuh—_Crrrr-__**AHH**__-shhhh_-!" It took a moment for him to realize that was his name being called, and he drew back only enough to look him over—oh man. He'd been growing in size very quickly.

Eaglebones was hunched over, his overflowing hair expanding and contracting with his haggard breathing and mostly covering his face, until he lolled his head back. Crash whined in sympathy at the sight of the entire structure of his face warping and rearranging under the thick mask, already sporting a full pelt of feathers around a bony beak.

"Y…yeah?" he sniveled. "What is it, buddy?"

"…rrrr…mrrrghghg…!" For a moment, all he could get out were rumbling warbles, before he brought his gaze up, his hazel eyes still human, pleading. "…rrrr**_run_**."

Crash's heart clenched up, and in the moment he lost himself and shook his head roughly. "N… n-no! I, I won't! I'm staying right here!"

Eaglebones let out a tormented chirrup. "…d…d_on't_… _hhhHHhurt, yyyyeeeoU-!_"

"N-**_NO!_**" Now that he had remembered his orders, Crash stood his ground, digging his feet into the floor for leverage as he threw his entire weight into slamming his best friend to the ground, head-first. His heart was breaking at the gurgling shrieks of pain that followed, torn shreds of clothing and feathers kicked up and clouding in his wake. This was the last thing he ever wanted to do to his fragile little pal, but he knew at this point there was little choice.

Eaglebones snapped his head back up, pupils blowing wide and consuming the rest of the humanity in his eyes. He then screeched in shrill rage, surging his wicked claws forward to tear into his attacker. Crash was thrown back, colliding with the wall and dropping limply.

He took a moment to gain his bearings, nearly knocked unconscious for a moment, before he tried forcing himself up. While he faintly noticed the calamity nearby, he gasped at a sharp pain in his stomach, clutching it and feeling warm liquid between his fingers, dripping to the floor beneath him.

Crash whimpered, almost always queasy around blood, and so instead of inspecting his wound, he looked up to watch Eaglebones flap about hopelessly, clucking in perplexed agony as he kept bashing against the reinforced door, trying desperately to get out.

Heaving to sit up, Crash observed this and gave it serious consideration. He was in no condition to fight him without further injury, not to mention…

As Eaglebones continued to flutter around the door, Crash slid over and reached up to press the glowing button, opening the door with a metallic hiss. The werehawk spared no time in clambering out of the room.

Crash crumpled against the wall again, almost in satisfaction. All of the sudden, he just couldn't bring himself to worry. He'd done his job the best he could.

"G… go find him… little buddy."


End file.
